Officials limit media access to campus crash trial

CRI, January 26, 2011

Only five reporters will be allowed to attend the Wednesday trial of Li Qiming, the suspect in a deadly campus car crash that killed one person, the website Jcrb.com reports.

In this photo taken on Oct 29, 2010, Chen Guangqian holds a portrait of his daughter Chen Xiaofeng at a hotel room in Baoding in North China's Hebei province. The young woman was killed by a speeding car driven by Li Qiming, who will go to trial on Wednesday.

Li Qiming, also known as Li Yifan, faces charges of "perpetration of a traffic accident" at the People's Court of Wangdu County in north China's Hebei Province.

The trial will be open to the public and the media, according to the public notice issued by the court. But most reporters have been denied entry to the courthouse because it "is too small to house enough public seats."

Only five reporters, all from local media in Baoding city, will be allowed to attend the trial. In exchange for the seats, the reporters must cover the trial based on news releases distributed by local authorities, the report said.

Currently, more than 40 reporters from around the country have crowded into the city to try to cover the trial, which has attracted widespread attention, according to the report.

Jcrb.com quoted an anonymous attorney who said the decision by local authorities would infringe upon the public's right to know about the proceedings.

On October 16, 2010, Li Qiming was driving a car when he allegedly ran over two students on the campus of Hebei University in this province??s Baoding city. One victim later died, and the other was slightly injured.

When security personnel tried to stop Li after the accident, he yelled, "Sue me if you dare. My father is Li Gang" a reference to a local deputy police chief.

After the incident was reported by the media, Li's words set off a massive outcry both online and offline.